1.         Membership 

1.1     Upon the consensus of the Executive Committee (not a formal vote), an interested person who has submitted an Application for Membership is designated a “Probationary Member”.  Probationary members are encouraged to start the apprenticeship program at their next setup. 

1.2        The start date for probation is flexible - generally the first or second event the person attended.

1.3        Probation lasts for 3 set-ups so long as that person is in attendance most of the time during those set-ups.

1.4        After the probationary period, a secret Club poll is conducted by the Membership and Communications Co-ordinator via “off the list” e-mail to see if there are any objections to the Executive offering the person membership or if there is agreement that the Executive should make such an offer.

1.5        Probationary Members pay dues as listed in the annex, and the Initiation Fee is due when they become “Members”. Probationary Members have no voting rights.

1.6        There is provision for a “Youth Member” (ages 16-18).  The process is the same as above except that Youth Members pay reduced dues at the student rate, do not pay the initiation fee until they turn 19, and have no voting rights. 

1.7        Members who are in full time attendance at a recognized educational institution pay reduced dues at the student rate.

1.8        The Executive (normally in consultation with Members) may revoke membership only under extreme circumstances.

2.         Dues and Fees

2.1     Dues are charged to members in accordance with the Annex to these By-Laws and are payable in January of each year.  Dues for persons joining the club in mid-year are pro rated.

2.2     There is an Initiation Fee as described in the Annex to these By-Laws which is payable upon becoming a Member.

2.3     The Club may levy an “Operating Fee” on those members attending a set-up as further described in the Annex to these By-Laws.

2.4     If a member ceases to be active in the Club for an extended period of time (typically 3 months or more) because of health, education, or work-related reasons, the Executive Committee may vote to waive the dues that would normally have been paid during that period.

2.5     Non-payment of dues for a period of six months or more shall be cause for a review by the Executive Committee of a person’s membership status.  Reinstatement of membership after such a period might require the payment of an additional Initiation Fee and/or all outstanding Dues.

3.      Officers and Duties

The Executive Committee normally consists of the members who fill the following offices:

3.1     President: Overall co-ordination and Club leadership, etc.

3.2     Vice-President: Back-up to President, miscellaneous tasks, etc. The VP will act as a backup for the Set-up Co-ordinator.

3.3     Treasurer: Finances and budgeting.

3.4     Secretary: Meeting minutes, keeper of important documents, decisions and By-Laws, etc.

3.5     Chief of Operations: Planning freight, yard and passenger operations for set-ups, and producing waybills, etc. and managing the decoder and loco number list. (This position needs Assistants/Back-up.)

3.6     Road Foreman: Club standards, physical and electronic/electrical aspects of set-ups, testing/Club acceptance of modules for use in Club set-ups, enforcement of standards at set-ups, trouble-shooting, review of lay-out design, etc. (This position needs two Assistants/Back-up: one for electronics; and one for the physical aspects of set-ups.)

3.7     Membership and Communications Co-ordinator: Membership and other inquiries, Website, website or other Club articles, logo, signage, membership approval procedures, membership list, etc.

3.8     Set-up Co-ordinator: Create and maintain a set-up schedule for the operating season (every 4-6 weeks or so); Review and OK schedule with the Exec and membership; Liaise with host site contacts; Overall co-ordination for each set-up to ensure that problems are dealt with in a timely manner; Arrange for layout design, Set-up Foreman, and Tear down Foreman; Prepare Traffic Superintendent schedule for the set-up; Co-ordinate other duties as described in a Set-up Check-List; Manage the storage of Club modules and any privately owned modules that are stored with the Club modules. (Duties under this officer may be delegated.)

3.9     Events Co-ordinator: Co-ordinate clinics, workshops, and Club social events.

3.10    Past President: (non-elected position for continuity) conducting Club elections, miscellaneous tasks, as appropriate.

3.11    At the discretion of the incoming President and with the agreement of the Executive Committee, a single executive member may hold more than one of these offices.

4.         Operating Year, Annual General meeting and Elections

4.1     The operating year of the Club shall be from July 1 to June 30 of the following year.

4.2     The Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Club shall be held in May or June of each year.

4.3     Elections for the Executive Committee shall be held at the AGM and the Executive shall take office as of July 1 of that year.

4.4     The Club's Fiscal Year shall be the calendar year, January 1 to December 31.

4.5     The Annual Club Budget for the following year will be presented to, and approved by, the membership in the last quarter of the calendar year.

5.         Executive Committee

5.1     A quorum at an Executive Meeting shall be 50% of the Executive Committee members. 

5.2     The powers of the Executive Committee include:

a)            Expenditure Authority: Up to $150 per purchase without reference to the Club and up to $300 per purchase if the item(s) is (are) mentioned in a Club Budget approved by Membership.

b)            Membership: Acceptance of candidates to become Probationary Members and acceptance of Probationary Members to become Members in accordance with clauses 1.1 and 1.4 above.

c)            Module Construction: Approval or rejection of the design submitted by a member for module construction for use in Club set-ups. This authority may be delegated to a sub-committee chosen by the Executive Committee.

d)            Compliance with Club Standards: Final decisions on any questions of compliance with Club standards for modules, locomotives rolling stock, etc. and resulting actions (work required, module banned from set-ups, etc.)

e)            Disposal of Club Assets: The Executive may decide to consult with the membership, if it so desires.

f)       Set-up dates and venues: Final decision after consulting with membership.

g)            Other Business: Other Club business of a day-to-day nature, which would not appear to warrant consultation with the membership.

6.         Modules and Standards

6.1     Before construction, proposed new modules should be designed to scale on paper or computer, and the plan forwarded to the Chairman of the Design Approval Group.  The Chairman will forward the design to the Ops Group for comment and discussion and, after appropriate feedback and any modifications, to the Design Approval Group for final comment and/or approval.

6.2     All requirements for module design, approval, construction and testing are in the Club Standards obtainable from the Road Foreman or the Club website.

6.3     Any Member may sponsor a proposal for amending the Standards at any time during the year. Proposals are to be submitted to the Standards Group, which is comprised of the Road Foreman and any interested members.

6.4     The Standards Group will examine and discuss the proposal and, in consultation with the Sponsor, determine the merit of the proposal. The Standards Group will work together with the Sponsor to draft an amendment and to develop a list of pros and cons of the amendment.

6.5     The Standards Group will brief the broader membership about pros/cons as well as the amended wording of the standard. Where possible, a physical example/demonstration or photo(s) of the proposal should be provided to the wider audience. The Standards Group may use pertinent feedback to develop the final wording of the amendment.

6.6     The Executive shall publish the final Proposal to the membership via e-mail through the Membership e-mail box A review period of three weeks will be available for members to express their views in support or against the proposal.

6.7     Following the review period, voting will be conducted via e-mail (for a period of two weeks) using the membership e-mail box; only votes cast this way will be counted.

6.8     The success of a Proposal shall be determined by a majority of two-thirds (2/3) of votes cast.

6.9     If the Standards Group and/or the Executive decide that a proposal does not have merit, then the Sponsor has the option to add his/her proposal to the agenda of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for open discussion. 

6.10  The Executive will accept any proposals tabled and accepted by the members at the AGM and the validation process will start at step 6.6 of this procedure.

7.         Operations

7.1     All operations rules that govern how layouts are set-up and operated are defined in this document in the chapters entitled “Set-up Manual” and “Operating the Layout”.

7.2     The following operating positions are allowed to operate trains without supervision at the following times:

a)    Engineer - at any time

b)    Journeyman - when dispatching is not in force

8.     Revision to the By-laws

8.1     Any Member may make a motion (the Mover), seconded by another Member, to amend these bylaws.

8.2     The proposal for a motion shall be sent to the Executive via e-mail to the Executive mailbox and be clearly identified in the subject line as a motion to amend the bylaws.

8.3     After consultation with the Mover it will be the responsibility of the Executive to provide due notice to the Membership of the proposal. Due notice shall be deemed to be the publication by the Executive of the text of the proposed amendment(s), the name of the Mover, Seconder, and the date, time, and place at which the vote will take place, via the Membership e-mail box, a minimum of three (3) weeks prior to the AGM.),

8.4     The motion shall be voted on only at the AGM and shall pass given a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the attending Members in good standing, provided that due notice has been given.

9.    Annex

9.1     The purpose of this Annex to the By-Laws is to list specific information about HOTRAK member Dues, Initiation Fee, and Operating Fees that are all subject to change.  The amounts shown may be amended by a simple majority of members attending the HOTRAK Annual General Meeting and/or a HOTRAK meeting called for the purpose of approving the Annual HOTRAK Budget.